A high-flying Chinese dealmaker has his wings clipped

“THE total number of airline miles travelled by this team is equal to a round trip between Earth and the moon.” So bragged Wu Xiaohui at a recruiting event held at Harvard University in January 2015. The boss of Anbang, a big Chinese insurer, was dazzling potential hires with his plans to go global. Anbang had shot to prominence just weeks before with a deal worth $2bn to acquire the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York from America’s Hilton.

Since then Mr Wu has attempted acquisitions around the world worth a total of some $38bn (see table). Political controversies have caused a number to unravel. One that recently fell apart was Anbang’s negotiation to take a $400m stake in a property in Manhattan, 666 5th Avenue, controlled by a firm owned by the family of Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. There were complaints about a potential conflict of interest on the part of Mr Kushner, who advises Mr Trump on relations with China.

“THE total number of airline miles travelled by this team is equal to a round trip between Earth and the moon.” So bragged Wu Xiaohui at a recruiting event held at Harvard University in January 2015. The boss of Anbang, a big Chinese insurer, was dazzling potential hires with his plans to go global. Anbang had shot to prominence just weeks before with a deal worth $2bn to acquire the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York from America’s Hilton.

Since then Mr Wu has attempted acquisitions around the world worth a total of some $38bn (see table). Political controversies have caused a number to unravel. One that recently fell apart was Anbang’s negotiation to take a $400m stake in a property in Manhattan, 666 5th Avenue, controlled by a firm owned by the family of Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. There were complaints about a potential conflict of interest on the part of Mr Kushner, who advises Mr Trump on relations with China.